Down 34 pounds and just ran my first 10K - with pics!

Hi guys, I’ve only shared my story with my friends and family or on other people’s forum posts asking for before and after photos, but I want to share it now with all of you. I've been on MyFitnessPal for 5 years now - I actually just realized that last month was my anniversary! I’ve always used these forums as inspiration and I want to thank everyone on this site for all of the support, inspiration and sense of community you've provided to get me this far!

I was never into fitness or trying to be healthy when I was younger, but started running a few years ago. I'm a graphic designer who transplanted from Central New York to the DC area 2 years ago for more job opportunities. That move took a huge toll on me, physically and emotionally - I moved away from everyone I’d known my whole life to an area where I only knew a couple of people.

When I realized that I needed to make a change in February of 2014, I weighed 188 pounds at 5’7”. I had zero energy, tons of digestive issues and felt uncomfortable in my own body.


January 2014


April 2014

I started Focus T25 in February and lost 17 pounds, but as we have a funny way of doing, I let life get in the way and stopped working out in August. I realize now that I wasn’t ready to completely commit myself to living a healthy lifestyle.


August 2014

By the end of the year I was back up to 181 pounds and I was so disappointed in myself. But that is when my mindset shifted and I made the decision that I needed to get my act together. I wasn’t going to be on a “diet”. I was going to learn to create a sustainable lifestyle of eating healthy and working out to get strong. I was going to be realistic and try to be patient.


December 2014

I started Les Mills Combat on December 29th in an accountability group on here and along with about 10 or 15 others, we did the program together. We checked in and provided support and motivation for each other, which was great, because it can sometimes be difficult to stay motivated when you’re working out on your own.

I had amazing results from my first 60-day round (12.5 pounds and 15.25 inches!) and decided to do another round, increasing the difficulty with double workouts, 6 days a week. It was so much fun, I didn’t dread working out! Since it provided me with meal plans, set schedules and the workouts, it was the kickstart I needed to create the lifestyle I wanted. It lead to my fitness level increasing and spiraled into strength training and running more. Now I've finished my first 10K, which I never dreamed I'd be able to do!


April 2015


In Florida in June 2015


After the 10K in November 2015

I never felt comfortable enough to share my photos, but I'm down a total of 34 pounds (I’ve lost a few more since this photo was taken!) and 38.5 inches since February 2014 and when I saw this side-by-side comparison, I realized that I’m achieving exactly what I set out to do! It’s so hard when you’re only looking at your short term progress (I didn’t lose any weight over the summer) and you forget to look at the bigger picture and how far you’ve come!








At a corn maze this Halloween

While I was on this journey, I found myself connecting with a lot of people who were also trying to better themselves. As I lost more weight, people started asking me for advice and I realized that my experience could help others reach their goals, even if only for motivation. Through this realization, I found that helping people was something that really made me happy, so that’s when I started my blog. (www.FindingKodex.wordpress.com) It may not get tons of visitors, but even if it only helps one person, then it was worth it.

I'm not "done" yet as I want to continue evolving and improving my fitness. I try to eat as cleanly as possible, but I indulge once in awhile (and probably more than I should!). My diary is open to my friends, so if you're looking for support, send me a request!

You can also find me on Facebook (Facebook.com/FindingKodex) or read more about my fitness journey on my blog if you’re interested https://findingkodex.wordpress.com/2015/05/20/in-the-beginning/